When you live in the land of skinny pine and palm trees, you forget how impressive the big trees of the Midwest are. I’ve taken photos in the Hobbs Chapel Cemetery before, but I can’t lay my hands on them just this minute.
What caught my eye Sunday, though was not the gravestones, it was the big tree dominating the cemetery.
Chapel completed in 1892, burned in 1993
Missourian photographer Fred Lynch had a photo of the church in his July 15, 2013, blog. I’m not sure, but the skinny tree in one of the photos taken by One-Shot Frony in 1935 might be this one.
My aunt & uncle were long-time members of Hobbs Chapel and are now both buried under that big tree near the road. Sam & Bessie Johnson. In fact, Aunt Bessie just died a couple of months ago. We had many family reunions there at the pavilion at first and then, in later years, inside the recreational building. They took me to Vacation Bible school at Hobbs Chapel when the old building stood facing the opposite direction of the one there now. I have many happy memories from early childhood up until now. Aunt Bessie was the last of that generation of my family. She was married to my mom’s brother, Samuel Burns Johnson.
Oh, the childhood memories. As a little boy, Hobbs Chapel Sunday School was the first and only church that I regularly attended. That can probably be attributed to the influence of a neighbor, Miss Rose Fornkohl and location as we lived diagonally across the road from the church at the intersection of East Cape Rock Drive and Big Bend Road (before it was rerouted). The photo of the church in the imbedded link is exactly what I remember and the trees were definitely not that massive.
JV Hobbs was my great-grandfather. Grand-father, Robert Lee Hobbs, my father was Charles Joseph Hobbs. I would like historial information concerning my family so I can share with my family.
I am the great great grandson of Edmond P Hobbs. My name is Randy Lindsay. I currently serve as groundskeeper,something I am honored to do. I am trying to find information about Edmond as I have recently donated a portrait of him saved from the fire that burned the original church. It was given to my grandfather, Rufus W Lindsay,when he passed it was given to my father, William J Lindsay. When he passed it was given to me. Rufus was Edmond’s grand son. My father was his great grandson. I also had a son, Joshua William Lindsay who passed away 5 years ago.Age 23. And therein dies the legacy of “William” which has been a tradition in our family for generations. The oldest son of the oldest son always had William somewhere in his name . Now that Joshua has passed the the “legacy” ends. I would welcome any information you can provide.
I will need to check out this cemetery. I’ve been told I have a lot of roots in it from my “Poe” heritage.
I am looking for a listing of those buried at Hobbs Chapel. Can anyone help?
Tammy
See if this will help.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1976698/hobbs-chapel-cemetery
When I worked for Walther’s Funeral Home, we buried someone there ca. 1970. There seemed to me to be a greater sense of “rightness” about a burial in such a ground, more than in newer, larger cemeteries. Rural cemeteries always draw my visits, even when I have no personal connection with those interred there. McLain’s Chapel (where I do have family interred) is another burying ground that has lost its church building but not a bit of its appeal.
This is my home church. Sam and Bessie Johnson were my aunt and uncle too, Bessie is my mother’s sister. My dad, Frank Bertrand, is buried under the tree too.
This church and cemetery holds precious memories for so many people. It is truly struggling right now due to circumstances the United Methodist Conference imposed, causing the small congregation to incur unnecessary expenses.
If anyone can help, please consider donations to keep this beautiful church open for future generations.
It’s also a beautiful place for a wedding.
The oak tree is the second largest tree in the state of Missouri.
We had the Missouri Conservation Department come and measure it. So they have all the records on it.
The oldest is not far, however, it is declining.
Our tree is not declining.
We are so proud of it!!!!!